Leaving the Senju clan compound, Hikari strolled leisurely down the road.
As he watched the bustling crowds around him, his feet instinctively carried him toward Ichiraku Ran.
It wasn’t alti yet, but teasing Aya was always a good option.
"Hikari!"
Hikari, who was on his way, stopped and looked in the direction of the voice.
At so point, Aya had appeared there, her eyes sparkling with joy as she looked at him.
’No way it’s such a coincidence!’
’Just as I was thinking about Aya, here she is. Have I awakened so kind of wish-fulfillnt ability lately?’
’If that’s true, then if Kurenai shows up right now, I’ll believe it for sure!’
Muttering in his heart, Hikari glanced around, then cheerfully waved at her. "Hey, Aya, good to see you!"
"Hikari, how could you just go and get married out of nowhere!" Aya jogged over to his side, her once-joyful eyes now tinged with a hint of resentnt.
"Ahem!"
Hikari coughed. What could he even say?
Honestly, this sudden marriage felt bizarre to him too.
And as for these won, he...
"Hikari, why are you here?" Another woman’s voice rang out, and Hikari froze.
’An illusion, it’s gotta be an illusion!’
Though he tried to reassure himself, Hikari distinctly felt that it was Kurenai.
Turning around, there she was—Yūhi Kurenai, dressed in her signature red-and-white jōnin outfit, standing not far away. Her ruby-like eyes shimred with a mix of anticipation and hesitation.
Though contradictory, Hikari could feel both emotions clearly in her gaze.
"I was waiting here for you!" He said, looking at Kurenai, his unease growing stronger. "If I’m not wrong, Tsunade will co running out of the Senju compound next."
"Hikari, what are you talking about?" Aya blinked at him in confusion. "Co ho with . I have so much I want to tell you—private things!"
"No, Hikari is coming with ! I also have things I need to tell him!" Kurenai quickly moved to his other side, hugging his arm and trying to pull him ho.
Hikari ignored their quarrel and instead looked into the distance.
Tsunade was rushing toward him from the Senju compound. Her face, free of drunkenness, was sharp and sober.
"Hikari, co with . I’ve already dealt with Shizune. Tonight, you’ll finally know the true aning of ecstasy!"
Hearing her words nearly shattered Hikari’s sense of morality.
He chuckled at the absurdity.
"No wonder I felt sothing was wrong. So it’s all an illusion! To preserve the image I have of you all in my heart, I’ll ask you to disappear now."
At this mont, Hikari could have chosen to embrace both Kurenai and Aya, head into the Senju compound, and with Tsunade and Shizune, indulge in a wild one-man-four-won battle.
But doing that? Ha!
Hikari shook his head and looked up at the sky.
The dazzling sunlight appeared to him like a glowing disc—radiant yet suspiciously false.
His arms loosened, and Kurenai, Aya, and Tsunade vanished.
The crowded street also dissolved into nothingness.
Looking up, the Hokage Rock stood tall, and the Fourth Hokage’s smile was as bright as ever.
"The Fourth’s house should be around here, right?"
Hikari closed his eyes, and the mory of the Fourth Hokage’s small ho surfaced in his mind.
Opening his eyes again—
"Hikari, you’re here! Co on in, we’ve all been waiting for you!"
Minato waved warmly at him.
Beside him stood a smug Kakashi, a disgruntled Obito, a flustered Rin, and Kushina scolding Naruto.
It was everything he had dread of.
"If only this were real... how wonderful it would be."
"Hikari, co quickly!" Minato continued calling.
"Minato-sama, please go ahead and eat without !" Hikari waved with a smile. "I’ve got sothing to do at ho. I’ll head back first!"
Even in a dream, he didn’t want things to get awkward.
Turning away, Hikari leapt to the rooftops, dashing toward his ho.
At that mont, the entire world faded into dull gray, leaving only his house in full vibrant color.
Soon, he stood before his familiar front door. Raising his hand, he hesitated to knock.
"Are you hesitating, Hikari-senpai?"
The door opened to reveal Kurama Yakumo. She looked noticeably different from before; her eyes, in particular, now sparkled like a galaxy and seed to hold countless secrets.
"So my guess was right after all."
Hikari’s gaze remained calm as he looked at her.
"This really is a beautiful world... I almost didn’t want to leave it."
"Wouldn’t staying here be better?" Yakumo stepped forward, gently wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her head on his shoulder. "Here, I’ll always be with you. Not just —Kurenai-sensei, Tsunade, Aya... Any woman you want, I can bring to you. Here, you’ll enjoy life’s greatest pleasures."
"Such a terrifying temptation..." Hikari lightly embraced her. "But I don’t want to live a aningless life. If everything is perfect, then to , that’s a nightmare. People must endure hardships. Besides... do you really feel happy keeping trapped here like this?"
"I am happy!" Yakumo’s voice overflowed with joy. "For , reality or illusion doesn’t matter. As long as you stay with , that’s what’s most important."
Well...
Hikari was at a loss for words.
The two of them quietly leaned into each other, simply feeling ti pass.
"But what if I want to leave this place?" Hikari finally voiced his thought.
If Yakumo refused, they would inevitably clash.
"If that’s what you want, Hikari-senpai, I’ll respect it!" Yakumo agreed instantly, so quickly that Hikari doubted his own ears.
That was too fast.
"From a certain point of view, life itself is just an illusion. Decades pass in a flash—childhood, youth, adulthood, old age, and finally death."
"Instead of all that, why not stay here with for eternity? And if you feel lonely with only here, I can bring others into this world too."
"As long as you wish it, I can pull all of Konoha, the Land of Fire, even the entire shinobi world, into this place with us..."
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Read 40 advanced Chapters on my P@treon.
/KakuzuTL
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